Electric trolley-railway signal



(No Model.)

' H. A. PARRISH. ELECTRIC TROLLEY RAILWAY SIGNAL.

Patented Oct. 13, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

HOMER A. PARRISH, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC TROLLEY-RAILWAY SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,424, dated October 13, 1896.

Application filed October 23, 1895. Serial No. 566,671. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOMER A. PARRISH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Electric Trolley-Railway Signal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates-to a system of electric signaling in which both a bell and lights are employed and in which the circuits of the relay-signal are connected with a main signalwire along the track, which main wire is also connected with the terminals which are operated upon by the cars in making the relay circuits, and in which system all of the circuits receive their electric energy from the main feed-wire, supplying the energy to run the cars.

An object of the invention is to have the trolley-wheel of the cars operate the circuitterminals to make and break .the relay-circuits to start and stop the signal, whether on a single or double track.

Another object is to simplify the construction and action of the relay by having one armature operate a drop which constitutes a circuit-maker to break all the circuits and another armature operate to release the circuit-maker to make the signal-circuit, the magnets controlling said armatures being both energized from the same source, the feedwire, which runs the cars, and their circuits having terminals operated by the cars.

In the drawings forming a part of this speciiication, Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the circuitmaker shown in Fig. 1 supported by the trol ley-wire.

Referring to the parts of the drawings pointed out by numbers, 3 is a circuit'maker supposed to be located at the crossing of a street-car track or any railway using the trolley system and supported by the trolley-wire 5. The crossing may be where a wagon-road crosses the track or where one track crosses another. Out a sufficient distance each way from the crossing is a circuit-maker 1, also supported by the trolley-wire 5. But one of these circuit-makers 4: is here shown, but their use will be understood by the statement that they are located each way out from the crossing.

nectin g the relay-circuits with the feed-wire 6 the signal can be operated at no expense aside from the cost of construction. I eniploy two elastic circuit-terminals '7 and S in the circuit-maker 4: and two sets of the same in the circuit-maker 3, for the reason as will appear in the operation. The lower terminals S are grounded at G by wires 9, and the upper terminals 7 are connected with the signal-wire 10 by wires 11.

At the crossing the upper terminals 7 are connected with each other by wire 12, and the lower terminals 8 are connected with each other by the wire 13. In the circuit-maker at is a jointed lever 14, provided at the top with an inverted-L head, the head thus projecting laterally. This head is preferably made of insulating material. There must at least be an insulation somewhere in the lever. It would serve if the wheel 15 in the lower end of the lever were insulated.

lVhen a car approaches the crossing from either direction, the trolley-wheel 16 comes in contact with the lower end of the lever 14, which swings said lever 011 its pivot at 17, bringing the lateral projection of lever 14 into contact with the circuit-terminals 7 and 8, as shown at dotted position in Fig. 2, causing them to touch each other and make the circuit, with the effect described farther on. This lever let is jointed between its two ends at 18 and is provided with a stop 10 on one side of the upper portion toward the crossing, which stop projects down to engage the lower member of the lever to prevent it from swinging on its joint when the'incoming car approaches the crossing, but allows it to swing on said joint when the car is going out.

hen made with the joint, the lever 14: is

only operated by the-incoming car on a single track. \Vhen used on a double track where the cars only run in one direction, the lever 1a is made rigid or without the joint, as in the circuit-maker 8, Fig. 1. The same lever 14 is employed in the circuit-maker 3, except it has no central joint, and it has another projection on the other side at the top, making it T-headed, which T-head is also insulated from the lever. As this circuit-maker 3 employs two sets of elastic circuit-terminals 7 and 8 each side of the lever 1%, they are operated upon by the trolley-wheel 16 in going in either direction by the crossing to stop the bell and put out the lights, thus setting the signal to safety.

The lever 14 in the circuit-maker at acts against the resistance of the spring 20, Figs. 1 and 2, when the cars are approaching the crossing. Thus the insulated L-head will not operate on the circuit-terminals 7 and 8 more than once by direct design, which it might do but for the spring, owing to the rebound of the lever, and especially is this the case in the use of the lever when jointed. The spring holds the lever 14 at its upright normal position and does not let it rebound or continue to swing after once being operated upon by the trolley-Wheel 16.

In Fig. 1 the armature 21 of the magnets 22 has an insulated end- 23, which, when the magnets 22 are energized, swings to the magnets against the resistance of the spring 24 and contacts with the drop 25, putting up said drop against the resistance of the spring 26, the end of said drop catching back of the hooked end of the armature 27 of the mag nets 28. This action breaks" all the circuits, and before the drop was put up it was held by spring 26 against the circuit terminal post 29, thus operating the signal lights and bell.

We will trace the several circuits in connection with a description of the operation. Suppose a car approaching the crossing from the right hand has closed the circuit-terminals 7 and 8 at this point, as indicated by their dotted position in Fig. 2, by the swing of the lever 14, operated upon by the trolleywheel 16. The circuits of the relay are pointed out by the letters a, b, and c, and all start at the feed-wire 6. The circuit a runs from the feed-wire 6, through the lights, the magnet 28, and from this magnet on out to the circuit-wire 10. Another wire, also lettered a, (for it is really a part of the circuit a or belongs to it which runs from the feed-wire through the lights and magnet 28 and on to wire 10,) is attached to the wire a b c at the lights .and runs to the bell, thus bringing the bell into the circuit a. It should be borne in mind that each of the circuits a, b, and 0 starts at the feed-wire and each one runs through the lights and there branches, as described. lVith the circuit-terminals 7 and 8 closed, as stated, circuit a is closed and energizes the magnet 28, raises the armature 27, releasing the drop 25, thus closing the signalcircuits and ringing the bell 30 and lighting the lamps 31. With the drop 25 contacting with the terminal-post 29 the circuit 1) is traced as follows: starting at the feed-wire 6, through the lamps 31, terminal-post 29, drop 25, and on out to ground at G. The lamps will now remain lighted and the bell will ring until the car in passing the crossing operates the T-headed lever 14: to close the circuit-terminals'7 and 8 at the crossing, which action closes the circuit a. This circuit 0 is traced from the feed-wire 6, through the lamps 31, thence through magnets 22, thence to the upper circuit terminals 7 at the crossing. The Wires a, b, and c are connected together outside of the magnet 28. This closing of circuit 0 energizes magnets 22, operates the armature 21, and puts up the drop 25, at which time all of the circuits are broken and the lights go out and the bell stops ringing, and remain so until another car approaches the crossing from either direction.

So far as the invention is concerned, other means for operating suitable circuit-terminals at the track may be employed, and with the circuit-terminals and pivoted lever here shown other means of signaling may be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The normally .open elastic circuit-terminals, in combination with the pivoted vertical lever provided with the lateral insulated projection at the upper end, and a spring attached to the side opposite the projection and above the point of pivoting to prevent rebounding of lever, substantially as set forth.

2. An electric trolley-railway signaling apparatus, comprising normally open circuitterminals at and each side of the crossing, a pivoted lever having the insulated lateral projection-for operating said circuit-terminals,

IIO

oted spring-actuated drop, circuit-terminal post for contacting with the drop, a set of magnets with armature having insulated'end for contacting with and putting up the drop, a signal or signals, a circuit-wire running from feed-wire to main signal-wire and includin g therein the signal or signals and the first-named magnets, a circuit-line running from feed-wire to ground and including therein the signal or signals, and the circuit-terminal post and drop; and a circuit-line running from feed-wire to ground and including therein the latter-named magnets, and the circuit-terminals at the crossing, substantially as set forth.

3. An electric trolley-railway signaling apparatus, comprising suitable track circuit terminals each side of and at the crossing, a main signal-wire forming connection therewith, a feed-wire, a set of magnets with hooked armature and pivoted spring-actuated drop, and circuit-terminal post for contacting with therein, the latter-named magnets, and the circuit-terminals at the crossing, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

HOMER A. PARRISH.

Witnesses:

JEFFERSON SMITH, THOMAS H. CANLAN. 

